Uniting Business and Technology at U.S. Bank

Kate Cosyns (MSIT '20) describes herself as a perpetually curious person.  

Her ideal work setting is one where every day is different, and new challenges regularly abound. That is why she loves working in finance, and is particularly excited about her current role as senior program manager for business technology in wealth management and investment services at U.S. Bank, a position she's held since February 2021.  

"Finance is a highly regulated, global industry that intersects culture, economics, business, technology, and politics, and continues to be an endless source of fascination for me," she said. "There are common themes to the work I do – supporting business and revenue growth, generating operational efficiencies, and identifying opportunities to leverage new technologies – but projects vary quite significantly in terms of size, scope, and impact." 

Cosyns coordinates large-scale, strategic technology initiatives that improve data quality, optimize operational processes, and enhance the overall client experience.

"I am tasked with designing and implementing solutions in partnership with the business and technology teams that allow us to do more, better and faster," she said. 

That partnership between business and technology is one that can be precarious in many organizations. It was the intersection between the two that led Cosyns to enroll in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) part-time program.

In MSIT, Cosyns learned about the common causes of conflict between the two teams, as well as how to solve those conflicts and potentially prevent them from occurring in the first place.  

"Excellent communication is the cornerstone of successful business and technology partnerships, and a primary function of my role is to serve as the translator between subject matter experts," Cosyns said. "It requires quick thinking and agility to anticipate and plan for unforeseen roadblocks, and when you can’t, the measure of success becomes how quickly you can identify and implement a sufficient workaround."

Cosyns appreciated that her time in MSIT was spent on more than just learning vocabulary and textbook workflows. Cosyns and her classmates spent large amounts of time analyzing and problem-solving common issues businesses face today. They saw how strategies are vetted among company leadership and the subsequent impact those strategies and decisions can have across an entire organization.

A major emphasis was also placed on cybersecurity, which is a top priority for technology leaders, particularly in high-risk industries like finance. Courses on Law and Information Technology and Cybersecurity Leadership were pivotal to her MSIT experience and relevant to her work today.

"I chose the MSIT program specifically because the curriculum is a combination of technology and business," she said. "It really highlights the ways business and technology complement each other. The program also enhanced my understanding of how my project delivery fits into the 'bigger picture,' which is key in delivering quality technology-focused solutions."